1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to racing cars and more particularly to air foils used with racing cars and the means to control their operation.
2 Prior Art
In the field of high speed vehicles and particularly racing cars, there are certain inherent stability problems that result directly from the movement of the car through the air at high speeds. It is well known, for example, that air passing between the wheels and the body of the vehicle is accelerated due to the venturi affect caused by the wheelbody combination. This high speed flow of air over the body section generates it since the body section of the vehicle acts as an air foil.
These lifting forces act throughout the complete surface of the vehicle and generally affect the vertical component or weight of the vehicle in a longitudinal path. Hence, depending upon the center of gravity of the vehicle and the differences in lift coefficient throughout the length of the vehicle, there is a tendency for the vehicle to become longitudinally unstable at high speeds.
In an effort to correct the flying tendency of the modern racing car, various techniques have been suggested and used in an effort to increase the traction of the car on the race track during high speed operation. For example, in the so-called McClaren racing car of 1971, a fixed, horizontal air foil was located about the rear wheels for generating a force in a downward direction so as to increase the vertical component on the rear wheels in an effort to increase traction during high speed operation. This concept has been widely copied and utilized as a means of increasing vertical stability during high speed operation.
There are today many modifications of the McClaren type air foil and they include a horizontal air foil in the front of the car as well as in the rear of the car, thereby to increase the vertical component at both the front and rear wheels. In addition, other modifications include the use of four separate air foils located at each wheel to provide increased flexibility in obtaining an increased vertical component of weight at each of the four wheels.
Examples of some of the specific modifications can be seen in U.S. Phillippe Pat. No. 3,768,582 issued Oct. 30, 1973 and entitled "Stabilizing Device", U.S. Backowski Pat. No. 3,790,206 issued Feb. 5, 1974 and entitled "Vehicle Stabilizing Means and Methods," U.S. Powell Pat. No. 3,894,764 and entitled "Stabilizing Wing for a Racing Vehicle," and U.S. Wheeler Pat. No. 4,455,045 and entitled "Means for Maintaining Attached Flow of a Flowing Medium."
While each of these prior art designs do achieve increased stability to the racing vehicle, it is accomplished in many cases by complicated body design, which is difficult and expensive to construct or not easily adaptable to modern racing body designs.
In addition, these prior art designs do not allow flexible independent control by the driver. As a result there are many instances during a race that the effects achieved can be detrimental in achieving the performance desired by the driver.